The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-09-19
DULLNESS OF PUPILS.
PARAGRAPHS FROM A WESTERN
TEACHERS ADDRESS.
A Plea for "the Dull Boy ''-Pre-NataI
Causes of ChiIdren's Mental Stu
pidity-SOme other Causes
Things Worth Noting.
re-. T. Johnson in Kansas City Journal. ]

By duIlness is meant that low order or.
temporary condition of the intellect, which
renders it unable to comprehend to under
stand, to reason. Dizziness is the result of
either prenatal or post-natal causes Among
the most prominent prenatal causes are
parental intemperance, including excuses
of all kinds, parental disease, accidents, and
direct transmission according to the law that
like begets like.
The dull brain is a dark, cold and dreary
prison house, along whose widowed walls
pale and sickly faculties, with outstretched
palms, go slowly, cropping, searching for
crevice, no matter how small, through which
CLEAN of light may creep.
We find existing outside the school, con-
tinuous or remittiug causes, producing
permanent or remittent dizziness. Most
prominent among the causes of permanent
duIlness are injury from accident, injury
from punishment, fright, use of Intoxicating
liquors, use of tobacco, general i'll treatment
night study.
A few of the many causes of remittent
dizziness are worry and improper clothing,
improper food, over feeding, under feeding,
loss Of sleep. over exertiOn, want of exercise,
poor ventilation, injudicious punishment.
Teachers sometimes ungratefully complain
that they receive no credit Teachers re-
ceive credit for this accumulation of dull
ness; from the parents, the superintendent,
and the school board.
Did Johnnie fall in his infancy and crack
his skull the teacher receives the credit for
his consequent dullness Does Tommie steep
his tender brain in whisky, beer or tobacco,
the teacher receives credit for his slow prog
ress in his studies Does Samuel's father
nightly make him the target at which to fire
stove-wood and small articles of furniture,
closing the parade with a few brick-bats
aimed with nice precision at the boys head
the teacher is accredited with the boys lack
OF mental activity next day.
Straps and bands are drawn so tightly
around childrens limbs and bodies that the
circulation of the blood is impeded; children
are chilled with too little clothing, or
weighted down from the hips with too much;
they are stuffed at meals like turkey pre-
pared for the oven, or starved until their
only thought is a crust they are feed on in
digestibl1 food; allowed to keep late hours at
the ball, the opera, the skating rink or in the
alleys; they are allowed to stagnate in fash
ionable parlors until the blood fOrgets how
to circulate in their veins; they are put to
bed in rooms Theoretically sealed, to breathe
the same foul air over and over again until
the whole system is poisoned, and yet the
teacher receives all the credit for their men
tai incapacity.
Those conditions, methods and influences
of the school, that may produce continuous
or remittent dullness are numerous. These
may be divided into two classes-those that
effect the mind indirectly, through the
medium of the body, and those that effect
the mind directly, through the medium of
the emotions or by exertion of the brain.
Among the most prominent of the first
class are insufficient ventilation, want of ex-
ercise, excessive punishment or improper
forms Of punishment, improper positions, de-
priving of recess and OBTAINING after school
for study.
The responsibility for poor ventilation, the
teachers may consistently divide with the
board Of education who build Theoretically
sealed boxes into which they pack children
in rows, order teachers to pour over them
the oil of control, and then wonder that they
come out sardines. For the other causes of
this class, the teachers alone must stand
responsible.
For dullness from over study, the teachers
may share the responsibility with parents
who constantly urge rapid promotion and
with school officers who put up examination
papers for competitive display, and who
hold up, for emulation, teachers who have
accomplished remarkable results.
Constant censure, no commentator, con-
tinuous storming, ridicule, sarcasm, teacher
too solemn, teacher too dignifed, teacher too
monotinous, punishments which destroy the
pupils self-respect, such sitting the
rostrum, standing on the knees, standing on
ONE foot, standing with back to class, stand
ing with book on the head or on one or both
outstretched hands, standing with face in
the corner, sitting with the opposite sex,
mouth tied up, eyes tied up, any punishment
before the school
The child's emotional nature may be
Hxened to a telephone system, of which the
mind is the central office" sepding out
nerve tubes in all directions to receive dis
patches, which are Immediately conveyed to
the central
Let US step into the central office and take
observations. The owner of this central is
named John
Hushl ring "What is it," asks central
"John, you are perfect numbskulll" Down
goes the index ten degrees. "Yoli don't know
as much as you did last years" index ten ds-
grees lower. "Come to me this minute" In
dex TO thirty. "Turn your back to the class!"
Index to forty. "Stand on one foot!o Index
to fifty. "Now, children, you may all laugh
as much as you pleasew Index drops to the
very bottom of the instrument, where it
stands for several hours, perhaps days.
Let us enter another central" The owner
of this central is named Jake. Here we find
the index below zero. Hark! ring: SslVhat
is it?" asks the central "Jake, what makes
YOU look so dull this morning, did you have
bad dreamsp "No, maam." Index goes up
ten degrees "Did you leave your smiles all
at home in your other coat pocket" mo,
ma'am, but I can't get this example" In
dex goes up ten degrees higher. as that
all9 Well, wouldn't look so solemn about
that; remember, it is the bright face that
wins. Bring me your slate and book"
"Yes'm" Index goes to 100 above at a
single bound. Let us withdraw from the of
fee.
To conclude in the words of the immortal
Widow Redott, 1--WE are all poor creeturs."